Quantum Epistemology

I was digging through my file cabinets and came across a file labeled “Quantum Philosophy.” It included excerpts from a book by Ronald Omnes called Quantum Philosophy: Understanding and Interpreting Contemporary Science (Princeton UP, 1999). I photocopied the introductions to each of the sections because it seemed like an extremely significant book that I didn’t have time to get to (or thought I’d have trouble getting through after glancing at it). From what I can gather from the few pages that I’ve read, this book calls for a reconsideration of philosophy based on new discoveries in science. (Sounds a lot like Lakoff & Johnson, who call for starting philosophy over from scratch now that we know what we know of brain science–see the posts “On Wandering” and on “Metaphorical Concepts”). As Omnes writes at one point, “There can only be one remedy: to invent a new way of understanding” (82).

A tall order! But exciting, and a call for interdisciplinary generalization. If we want to be doctors of philosophy, we must take into account these latest findings in physics, neurobiology, mathematics, etc. We have to read as much as we can as often as we can. Turn off the TV–forever!!